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paroof's review against another edition
3.0
A personal account of what it's truly like to be one of the "working poor". Land does a great job of showing how hard it is to pull oneself out of poverty. It's not a matter of not trying hard enough. Land also shows us how government programs did help her and her daughter not only survive, but succeed.
The only problem with this book is that the people who need to read it never will.
The only problem with this book is that the people who need to read it never will.
sarahmstanley's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
morganbuis's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.0
i liked this book. i liked that the author read the audiobook. i feel like i truly got her lense. i liked reading about her life and the world and how she was in the situation she was in. she worked incredibly hard and was seldom praised for all her effort to climb out of poverty. this was inspiring
biwi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
interesting read. whether or not I liked Stephanie or her choices isn't really important to me on this one. It's an informative read. Not inspiring exactly, but interesting for sure.
baasanka's review against another edition
3.0
I was somewhat disappointed by the writing style and quality. After having heard that the author got scouted by a literary agent because of her amazing online articles, I expected.. well, a bit more that what I got.
I don't have complaints about the plot as much – I see people criticizing her for buying extra gas to have her daughter visit the abusive ex, or getting a membership for a dating site with unexpected birthday money. And you know what? Get over yourselves.
It's a place of privilege to critique how a homeless/struggling person might spend their money, unless they are actively endangering someone else. Her daughter was fed, housed, the money was budgeted for. If she unexpectedly got a small sum and decided to spend it on a dating site – fucking go her.
I've been homeless before. I've hitchhiked to another country with 2 dollars in my pocket and with no idea where I'm going, what I'm going to eat, or where I might sleep for the night.
You know what I did? I bought myself a snack for those 2 dollars. I didn't buy nutritional food or a bottle of water, I bought a snack.
Because if spending your meager change on something as banal as a snack will help you not break apart and completely lose it – then that snack is a great fucking investment.
Being poor or homeless always affects your mental health. Chances are, with enough time it will change your brain chemistry completely – hell, go read up on how poverty affects your body on a molecular level.
And maybe that snack or dating site will give you the strength to hold it together till tomorrow, when you can find the willpower to go out again and search for more permanent solutions.
I don't have complaints about the plot as much – I see people criticizing her for buying extra gas to have her daughter visit the abusive ex, or getting a membership for a dating site with unexpected birthday money. And you know what? Get over yourselves.
It's a place of privilege to critique how a homeless/struggling person might spend their money, unless they are actively endangering someone else. Her daughter was fed, housed, the money was budgeted for. If she unexpectedly got a small sum and decided to spend it on a dating site – fucking go her.
I've been homeless before. I've hitchhiked to another country with 2 dollars in my pocket and with no idea where I'm going, what I'm going to eat, or where I might sleep for the night.
You know what I did? I bought myself a snack for those 2 dollars. I didn't buy nutritional food or a bottle of water, I bought a snack.
Because if spending your meager change on something as banal as a snack will help you not break apart and completely lose it – then that snack is a great fucking investment.
Being poor or homeless always affects your mental health. Chances are, with enough time it will change your brain chemistry completely – hell, go read up on how poverty affects your body on a molecular level.
And maybe that snack or dating site will give you the strength to hold it together till tomorrow, when you can find the willpower to go out again and search for more permanent solutions.
spidery's review against another edition
2.0
Oh man... so many bad choices. After awhile I couldn't be sympathetic anymore.